Written in collaboration with Gareth Matthews, Head of Employment at MLP Law.
The UK Government has announced important new law changes to the Employee Relations (Flexible Working) Act, set to come into force from 6 April 2024.
It’s BIG news for the HR industry – but we were super surprised to learn that a recent ACAS survey found 7 out of 10 employees (70%) are not aware of the upcoming changes!
So, we spoke to the experts at MLP Law to get all your questions answered on the new flexible work law changes and what it will mean for employers.
Currently, an employee with at least 26 weeks continuous service, has the statutory right under employment law legislation to make an application or request to their employer to work flexibly. Such a request from an employee can cover asking for a change to their terms and conditions relating to:
At the moment, a request of this kind can only be made once in every 12 month period – however that is about to change.
Changes to the flexible working legislation mean that from 6 April 2024, employees will be able to submit a right to work flexibly request from day one of employment and will also be allowed to submit two flexible working requests in any 12 month period. Finally, employers will be required to respond to requests within two months of receiving them (as opposed to three months, as the law stands now).
As stated by ACAS – “You can only turn down a flexible working request if there’s a valid business reason. It’s important to make your decision based on facts and not personal opinion.”
With this in mind, there are no set changes to the eight grounds upon which an employer can refuse a flexibly working request which are:
No doubt, most employers are already familiar with dealing with flexible working requests but these changes should prompt you to update relevant policies and adapt your approach to flexibility in the workplace. Thinking about the potential flexibility of any role at an early stage, even during the advertising and recruitment process, will put employers in a solid position to react to the changes due in April 2024.
MLP Law is a Top 500 Law Firm.
Having built a solid reputation as a leading team of legal specialists, MLP Law are committed being the most trusted provider of legal services in the North West.
If you would like advice from the Employment Team at MLP Law in relation of any of the issues raised here or more generally, get in touch on 0161 926 9969 or employment@mlplaw.co.uk
Starting out her early career as a journalist, Jade Madeley is an accomplished content writer with 8+ years’ experience across business, personal finance, SaaS, human resources and employee engagement. Working with Stribe, she crafts insightful content that brings complex HR topics to life and drives meaningful action.
